A two hour drive getaway can do you a world of good, as MABUYANE MABUZA recently discovered

None of us with the exception of scientists and healthcare professionals would have thought we would be battling a pandemic in 2021. A pandemic is not something that could have crossed our minds at least for many of us but it is here. So many things happened, our lives as we knew them changed for the worst, it was surreal. When things started easing off, I knew that I needed some time off away from the routine that lockdown had forced so many of us into.

The search for a beautiful weekend getaway joint started and no time I had found one in Modimolle, just two hours from Johannesburg. The second mission was to find the perfect wheels for this trip. Audi Q7 45TDI was the chosen car for the trip. I was overcome by excitement after spending many months at home, the open road would do a world of good, I thought. My companion and I hit the road later after and got caught in peak hour Friday (N1 North) travel but we persevere and make it through. I am restless traveller, I prefer to drive off peak so I can take in everything about the journey. This was not the case. We arrive at Zwahili Private Game Reserve just after 7pm. Nestled in the bushveld of Modimolle in the Waterberg region of Limpopo, Zwahili Private Game Lodge is one of many in the area awaiting to be discovered. As soon as we arrived we notice that the place was not exactly what we saw on their website, things looked a bit on the lower scale, underwhelming. We had booked a safari suite but upon entering the room I still felt like it was not what was sold to me on the establishment’s website. Needless to say we ended up in the Madiba suite which was a much better than the safari suite. The staff were professional and did their best to give us an unforgettable experience. Then it dawned on me that this place was probably one of many affected by Covid, this realisation helped to be more understanding.

Back to the journey to Zwahili, after navigating through the nightmare that was Gauteng traffic, the Q7 was able to stretch its feet (if you may) as soon as there was space to do so. This was my first time spending this much time in the new generation Q7. Powered by the 3.0-litre turbocharged engine producing 183kW of power. The trick is in the 600Nm of torque that make the Q7 45 TDI seem to sail through hills with so much ease. The trip to Modimolle was just as easy, the Q7 possesses superior ride quality both on and off-road. Audi has substantially enhanced the dynamic facets of the Q7. The optimized all‑wheel steering allows the rear wheels to turn as much as five degrees in the opposite direction. As such, the Audi Q7 is maneuverable, precise and agile in urban traffic and on hairpin bends. In contrast, the Q7 behaves as a highly comfortable, poised touring SUV with excellent ride comfort on freeways.

I have always had respect for SUVs that can strike a good balance between being a luxury family car and a tough cookie, the Q7 has that. The Audi sibling offers plenty of technology to make your head spin with confusion (at least for me) starting with the standard MMI navigation plus that delivers top notch connectivity. It features an embedded SIM, a Wi-Fi hotspot, natural voice control and the extensive Audi connect portfolio. The latter ranges from online traffic information, point of interest search, navigation with Google Earth and live weather updates. The Audi connect functionality also includes Car2X services which consists of standard safety and service features in the event of damage, breakdown or minor accidents. This functionality (through a built-in emergency button in the vehicle’s roof module) allows an emergency safety or service call to an Audi call centre to support in any event. Additional functionality, accessible through the MyAudi application, includes remote functions that network the new Audi Q7 with the driver’s smartphone. This includes car finder, remote lock/unlocking, speed and theft alerts, to mention a few.

The Audi Q7 demonstrates the hallmark SUV elements of the current design language. It bears the large octagon-shaped Single frame, with six upright slats providing the structure. As such, the SUV looks even more powerful. The two-part side air inlets have a much more expressive line, just like the sill area that underscores the large SUV’s ground clearance and, in turn, its off-road capabilities

It also provides variable ground clearance and prepares the Q7 with its standard Quattro drive for terrain off the beaten track. The relevant off-road mode can be selected via the standard Audi drive select dynamic handling system with its seven profiles.